Yes, I was making assumptions, sorry. I thought the armory was one-time and it isn't, seems to be once per day or some other mechanism. I didn't like the way Bass-O-Matic 77 was a once per lifetime choice, thought this is likewise.

Erich wrote: it was just the fact that the quests have the exact same mechanic:

Adventure in A until non-combat which unlocks B. Continue until quests ends.

On this one we tried to work in a couple of different choices based on the way the two halves of the quest intertwine. This may or may not have been entirely obvious.

Still, the overall point is one I do kind of understand. But in general there's a pretty limited list of quest mechanics that aren't ridiculously complicated. Here's the few I can think of offhand:

1. Defeat X of a monster
2. Collect X of an item that drops/get X different items to drop
3. Hit X number of noncombats
4. Come up with X chips to pay for something
5. Pick the correct choice from an array of choices
6. Riddles
*And the always popular: some combination of the above

Are there others? I'm drawing a blank right now on other options. I don't really use #4 in the game, because it just doesn't seem that interesting as an option. Among the other 5, four of them basically boil down to "keep clicking until it's over". The sixth, riddles, is more challenging up front, but then has zero value in terms of replayability, unless you invent some sort of dynamic riddle, which is getting into the realm of too complex.

One of the quests I most appreciate in Kingdom of Loathing is the level 12 quest, because while it boils down to #1, it has the caveat of "exercise other skills to speed up this process, and choose from what's available." But that's a sprawling, high-level quest, and wouldn't really work well in a smaller scope.

I realize I don't use #5 anywhere yet, but I probably will, and I'm not sure that would satisfy your objection anyway.

I'd love to have some other options. If you've got a suggestion (and I mean anyone, not just Erich--this is a topic I'm actively discussing with the mods right now too) for a non-trivial alternative, I'd take it seriously. But in my experience it's been a lot tricker than it seems.

Yeah, you're completely right about this. It IS difficult. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen it done properly. Maybe a bit in KoL, but even in KoL, eh.

This is sort of an abstract application, but in Left 4 Dead, you have objectives, reach a safe house (a checkpoint), kill monster x, etc. But the procedural AI (the Director) always make the experience getting through and to these points exciting and unique each time. Like I said, however, this is sort of an abstract comparison, obviously.

Hm. I've been playing a lot of Oblivion lately, and it seems that the majority of quests boil down to:

Go from A to B and then either 1) kill something or 2) grab something. Sure, there's plenty of pitfalls or other things to kill on the way, but at it's core, it's basically a series of glorified fetch and/or escort quests. It's just that the graphics, and the sneaking, and the OMIGAWD IT'S THROWING FIREBALLS AT ME! make you forget those sorts of things.

Most video games are like this. Just boil them down and you get go from A to B and do X.

You don't notice in video games, but in games like TH or KoL which are, essentially, old school text adventures, it's more visible. I'm not sure how much you can do to hide it, short of good writing and interesting enemies. And some kind of parallel to the willing suspension of disbelief.

In other words, you kids and your fancy graphics can git awf mah lawn.

It's not really all that different, but having to use/combine items to further a quest makes it feel more like you're acually doing something.
For example, you have to decode the swipe cards for the casino quest, and it feels like you're doing something. You can even go farm or whatever somewhere else if you so choose. Which acually, is a bit more involved than just a combo/use. You have a set time there, so you know how long it is until then next stage of the quest, instead of just click-and-hope.
Also, required eqips is a way to add some interactivity. (But have it acually do something, or cause a choice, not like the blackbird in KoL. That's interesting at first, but quickly loses its novelty)
In fact, Truoble in the Galleria, with doing the stuff with the steel knuckles was a good idea.
But yes, all quests do boil down to your list. They just don't have to feel like it.